Sunday, November 30, 2008

From Kashmir to Mumbai: Where is truth?

As soon as the news of the three-day deadly Mumbai siege came into being, I sought some answers in history and in the legacy of British colonialism, vis-a-viz the partition of India. It is a complex issue, as complex as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as others "Balkan" in nature. It is also a challenge to seek sources on the media representation of the Mumbai-Kashmir issue; truth is a production of those who owns the means of producing truth. There are multiple truths out there. Below is one. Hopefully this will be the beginning of our search for multiple truths.

"Dr. Azly Rahman was a pioneer of Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) Kuantan, a Malaysian school system modeled after amongst others, The Bronx School for the Gifted in Science in New York City" Er.. WHAT?

I wonder if the Dr. Azly mentioned to his American colleagues at Columbia what a racially biased system there exists in Malaysia with MRSM starting to top the list when it offers the best facilities only to a certain race.Wonder how people would react to that eh?

No doubt, Religion brought innumerable suffering and cruelty to the mankind. Remember more muslims live in India and Pakistan. Show me a muslim land where people live happily with human rights. Pakistan is a failed state, Do you think Kashmir becomes prosperous just by joining pakistan.

Is it not the aim of the terrorists to start a religious state all over the world, where there won't be any basic human freedom?

Man is a social animal, but religious people behave like animals.

All non believers of this particular religion are so worried about this kind of animal behaviour just like what Nazi's did, what stalin did to humans.

Common Dr.Azly, wake up....Just look around. Why there is always problems where ever muslims lived. Muslims should learn to respect other religion and learn to live with others. It's same story you people are projecting "Muslims vs rest of the world"

For how long???

What Muslims terrorism have achieved by all this violance????

What these people trying to prove????

Absolute Nonsense....

One more thing Dr.Azly, before research on India, just look at what you people are doing to Non malays in Malaysia.

Azly, when will the Muslim community ever come out against comments like this :

A man identified as Sheik Youssef al-Ayeri said the killings are in line with Islam.

"It's all right for Muslims to set the infidels' castles on fire, drown them with water .... and take some of them as prisoners, whether young or old, women or men, because it is one of many ways to beat them," he wrote in the al-Fallujah forum.

So stop hiding behind some bull cock documentaries, you don't even understand the situation in India, nor do you understand the situation in Israel. You, along with your Malay brothers, have only one thing to say, "Israel is Bad", when more than 90% of you can't even point out Israel on a Map or even know the history behind it. "Yehudi" this, "Yehudi" that is all that you guys know. Ask any further information, one is met with a stare. So get OFF your high horse and stop flooding the internet with unsubstantiated bull shit. Don't even go there saying that India does not allow freedom of religion or is suppressing the Muslims. You must be crazy in order to claim something like that.

Just like 9/11, the Bali bombings and other ignoble events of human history, there are only three motivations of the terrorists in the Mumbai attack:

1. Political message: To send a message that "religion" or "political rights" or "revenge for past grievances" are more precious than human life.

2. Military message: that force rules the world for some people and these people are willing to fight for a "better, more spiritual world" (ha ha, what irony)

3. Social message of the cowardince of terrorists: the fact that most terrorists who have taken dangerous missions are young people between the ages of 20-30s shows the cowardice of the older ones, who tend to plan behind the scenes. Killing defenseless citizens, including women and children is never an act of bravery even if they trade their lives for others.

Once again, the apologists for terrorists will say it is a complicated historical issue and we need to address the causes of terorrism instead of the symptoms. Tell that to the robber who wants your money or your life. Why not sit down with him to talk about his background and childhood while he polishes his knives behind your back?

I should calrify that the third motivation of "social message" from the point of the terrorists is to make heroes out of these young people so that they can inspire a new generation of martyrs for the cause.

regardless of which "terrorist" or any group that launched the attack,they must be dragged forward and punished for what they did.any people who abuse religion to resort to violence is an act that smear the good name of the religion itself.

Let's look at statistics and most terrorists are Muslims, even though the no. 1 terrorist in the world is an American, George Bush.

Read the reports. Those Muslim terrorists laughed and smiled when the shoot at innocent people. What kind of psycho laughs and enjoys killing innocent people?

In certain religion, it is stated that non believers go to hell. I cannot comprehend how a supposedly loving god can condem one to hell for not beleiving in him. Do we condem our children to hell if they do not agree with us?

Yes, religion has brought so much violent, klling, murder and suffering to this world.

Please remember that you belongs to human race first before you belong to any religion.Religion do not ask you to kill or discriminate.You don't even know what is going to happen to you when you're death.Is the GOD going to segregate you based on Islam,Hindu,Christian,Jew or so on?Nobody know the answer.So,why want to be such a fool to kill innocent people in the name of religion.Is Hema Kasipillay along with others deserve to be death? You answer this as a human first.

Be true to your ownself, doc. Just open up that book, read and understand the essence of what it propagates. And if you do it with an open mind, with humanity as the focal point, you'll discover its true face.

Religious belief is supposedly to be a personal thing, that is between God and his believer. The problem is when the so-called authoritive group of a religion combines religion with politics. When the religious leaders wanted to rule and govern the land and its people with the law of their religion, the human race will be segregated by this religious political force and identify each others as enemy. Why should any religion encourages people to make an enemy out of each other? Why should any religion wants to declare physical war among the human being and bring misery to all the people? In the modern world of today, which religion still want to propagate that the non-believers are the enemy and should be destroyed? This type of religion has a very volatile element and this will develop violence among some of its followers. Many religions have such traits in the past but for those religions which have become apolitical, they no longer have such influence onto their followers. The real enemy of the human race is when a religion becomes political entity and enforces its religious doctrine to become the law of the land and lords over its non-believers.

(8:12): Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them."

"Paradise lies under the shades of swords." (Albokhari, Vol. 4)

"A man who was eating dates, said to the prophet 'Where shall I be if I am killed in Jehad?' He replied: 'In paradise.' The man threw away the dates and fought until he was killed." (Sahih Muslim: 4678)

The Prophet said, "Before long, you the Arabs will conquer many countries and cities. Qazvin, shall be one of such places. The person who takes part in that battle for forty nights or forty days, will be given a gold pillar in paradise encrusted with jades and rubies. He will enjoy residing in a palace, having seventy thousand gates, and each gate shall be attended by a houri (virgin girl for sex) and his wife." (Ibn-E-Majah, Vol. 2, p. 169)

I found it hard to comprehend your stand on this issue through your post. However, from the outset, I am inclined to believe that you are in favor of a free Kashmir.

The question is, should India really give in? Picture a scenario whereby the state of Johore declares to leave Malaysia, to either stay independent or to be part of Singapore.

Should Malaysians just give in to their request?

I belong to the group of laymen Malaysians, a student in fact. I may not be able to seize the entire framework of these historical events. Do let me know if this does not qualify to be a proper basis of comparison.

AZLY RAHMAN,- ANOTHER TYPICAL MALAY MUSLIM BASTARD NONE BETTER THAN HIS ISLAMIC TERRORIST BROTHERS ALL OVER THE WORLD WHO LIKE TO BOM,KILL,SLAUGTHER,BUTCHER,SLIT,MAIM,TORTURE AND TERRORISE THE INNOCENT, YOUNG,CHILDREN,MEN AND WOMEN UNDER THE NAME OF THEIR GOD AND RELIGION.SOMETIMES ONE WONDER,WHETHER ISLAM IS A RELIGION OR WORLDWIDE TERRORIST ORGANISATION.IT IS TIME FOR THE UNITED NATION TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MATTER(COMMITING TERROR AND KILLING OF PEOPLE)IN THE NAME OF SYAHID AND RELIGION(islam).ANY INACTION BY UN WILL PLUNGE THE WHOLE WORLD IN TO DISRAY. AND FOR AZLY IBRAHIM-PEOPLE LIKE HIM ARE THE NEW BREED OF EDUCATED MALAYS(MALAY INTELCTUALS) CREATED BY THE MALAYSIA GOVERMENT`S NEW EDUCATION POLICY TO USE THEIR KNOWLEDGE TO CARRY OUT TERROR ACTS WITH THEIR MUSLIM BROTHERS ALL OVER THE WORLD,BUT NOT TO HELP AND GUIDE THEIR OWN SOCIETY.

A man identified as Sheik Youssef al-Ayeri said the killings are in line with Islam.

"It's all right for Muslims to set the infidels' castles on fire, drown them with water .... and take some of them as prisoners, whether young or old, women or men, because it is one of many ways to beat them," he wrote in the al-Fallujah forum.

'If you are from Kashmir and want to go to Mumbai, please spend some time visiting Gujarat.' This is my comment on your article's title.

For a start, please read about past events in Gujarat that might radicalize the Mumbai attackers such as Amnesty International's report or what happened to Ehsan Jafri, an Indian MP and was one of the top party officials of the Congress party in Gujarat.

The conflict in Kashmir cannot be blamed on any group of people or religion or race. The conflict is Kashmir is non-existent. Just like the conflict between India and Pakistan. A delusion a psychiatrist may say. Billions of people have been deluded into hating an invisible bogeyman on the other side of the border by the British and Ali Jinnah. Pakistan and India are one. They were always one. For thousands of years, they were united but because Ali Jinnah smoked cigars and drank whiskey and wore Savile Row suits and consorted with the British and the Indian Congress members refused to do so, the British blindly acceded to his demand and created a non-existent state. For this non-existent state to demand the possesion of sovereign Indian territory is unacceptable.

However, after 60 years of animosity and three wars, the invisible bogeyman has become real. Pakistan and India are irreconciliable and the growth of Islamic fundamentalism from 1979 is part of the problem. Moderation has gone out the window. Pakistan used to be the paragon of moderation in the Muslim world. It used to be one of the only Muslim-majority country where democracy and human rights and the rule of law was respected. Now it's Al-Qaeda's staging area. I am not an orientalist but I can see what it has done to India-Pakistan-Kashmir relations. As such independence for Kashmir seems to be the only acceptable solution.

In this massacre, the terrorists were targeting foreigners - Americans and British - not locals. But in the midst of the act of terrorism madness, how precise and cool can the terrorists be in their selection.

If we are perspective setting here , first, let’s get one thing straight. India has a minority group Sikh prime minister , a Tamil minority Finance Minister now Home Minister, a former Muslim Tamil President who was loved by all Indians. Can you offer the same spectrum in leadership for Pakistan or any other Muslim country?

Second, as U.S. former Secretary of Defence Colin Powell said, poverty isn’t the root cause for terrorism. There are poor Indians period. But Islamic terrorism is global and not just in India. Christian , and Hindus are oppressed in Pakistan. Bangladesh has 10-15 million refugees in India with many suspected as insurgents . Every bordering country with India has refugees in India from Tibet, Nepal, Myanmar and so on. China is happily the largest supplier of arms to all them with nukes to Pakistan. Mumbai was India’s financial center with its SENSEX being one of the best performing bourses in world. It’s only weakness is the global market. Yet India’s economy is dynamic . This places it in a an invidious position by others in the region . Give India a break .

Historically, millions of Hindus have been killed by the Muslim invasions of India. Is there a Muslim country that has been so forgiving and integrative?

there will always be apologist, jus accept , islam for what it is. An insular & backward religion. Before, anyone talk about justifications for bombing & killings.Jus understand that muslims hate everyone including themselves. That is why shites & sunnis are still killing each other and what not . Bombs still going off in places like fuckistan, afghanistan, whatever 'tan" countries, in mosques, market place,anywhere there are lots of muslims to be killed. Fact is muslims cant even live with fellow muslims , so no point about them living with others

I found the inspiring verses that may have caused great mayhem in Mumbai and 9/11 and could lead to WWIII.

The text below from the Quran seems very clear about the militancy against those who do not share the believers' faith:

(27) O ye who believe! The idolaters only are unclean. So let them not come near the Inviolable Place of Worship after this their year. If ye fear poverty (from the loss of their merchandise) Allah shall preserve you of His bounty if He will. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise. (28) Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low. (29) And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they! (30) They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One God. There is no god save Him. Be He glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)! (31) Fain would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah disdaineth (aught) save that He shall perfect His light, however much the disbelievers are averse. (32) He it is Who hath sent His messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religion, however much the idolaters may be averse. (33) O ye who believe! Lo! many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks devour the wealth of mankind wantonly and debar (men) from the way of Allah. They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah, unto them give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom,

Muslims attack in Mumbai or naywhere else has nothing to do with local issue be it kashmir, Bush, Palestine what ever.The Wahabi muslims and the Muslim extremest want the maeke the whole world follow Islamic teaching at any cost.Thats what their scripture tells them and thats why no Muslim will oppose to islamic terrorism by marching in the streets but will justify the act. No matter how highly educated he may be.Just look at Azly. he is also justifying the cat! U r a let down AzltSorry!

i quote;'The Prophet said, "Before long, you the Arabs will conquer many countries and cities. Qazvin, shall be one of such places. The person who takes part in that battle for forty nights or forty days, will be given a gold pillar in paradise encrusted with jades and rubies. He will enjoy residing in a palace, having seventy thousand gates, and each gate shall be attended by a houri (virgin girl for sex) and his wife." (Ibn-E-Majah, Vol. 2, p. 169)'

So Islam bribes its followers with sex- Virgins!!No wonder all the suicide bombers are going beserk!Thats most horrible teaching in a religion! Souls have no gender- there is more to paradise than sexual pleasure and palaces- thats hwta my religion teachers.wonder who u belief.

TRIBUTE TO TEACHERS

About Azly Rahman

DR AZLY RAHMAN, born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York City) doctorate in International Education Development and Masters degrees in four areas: Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 350 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience in Malaysia and the United States spans over a wide range of subjects, from elementary to graduate education. He has edited and authored six books; Multiethnic Malaysia: Past, Present, Future (2009), Thesis on Cyberjaya: Hegemony and Utopianism in a Southeast Asian State (2012), The Allah Controversy and Other Essays on Malaysian Hypermodernity (2013), Dark Spring: Ideological Roots of Malaysia's GE-13 (2013), a first Malay publication Kalimah Allah Milik Siapa?: Renungan dan Nukilan Tentang Malaysia di Era Pancaroba (2014), and Controlled Chaos: Essays on Mahathirism, Multimedia Super Corridor and Malaysia's 'New Politics' (forthcoming 2014). He currently resides in the United States where he teaches course in Philosophy, Cultural Studies, Political Science, and American Studies.